Ohmygod I loved this book. Beautifully written, deeply felt, and it made me think about so many aspects of life and our relationship with animals.

I was sad to learn that Chris Chester died in April of this year.

I would like to recommend this book to humanity as a whole.

It took me over two months to read because I was actually annotating it. With post-its and everything. It's the first time I've felt compelled to do that with a physical copy of a book, and it's because this book is not just absolutely hilarious, but also devastating, several times. There are a lot of complex feelings about grief explored, as well as what constitutes consciousness in animals that you may not have stopped to think have personalities and desires of their own (namely, house sparrows). There are philosophical and theological discussions thrown in for good measure. This little book packs a punch.

Even if you've never had a bird as a pet, you'll be able to relate to the kind of social gymnastics it takes to adapt your life to your non-human companion, lest you make them sad by not spending enough time with them.

Above all, this book feels like having a deep conversation after dinner with a group of good friends.

As I live in Portland Oregon, I found this local author and truly enjoyed his book. In fact, I chose it for my book club as a selection to read and it was well liked.

I highly recommend reading this book.

Sweet non-fiction written by a man who lives in my neighborhood. He adopts an injured sparrow who basically takes over his life.

A profoundly moving story of an extraordinary family composed of the author, Chris, his wife Rebecca and their house sparrow B. The Chester’s turned the top story of their house into an aviary and were content to open their lives to the wonder of birds. Erudite and quirky Chester invites his readers to contemplate what it’s like when your best friend is a sparrow.

Providence of a Sparrow: Lessons from a Life Gone to the Birds by Chris Chester (2004)

This book was hard to get into, but it touched my heart at the end. The last chapter really hit home, especially after just losing Sedona, a Northern Goshawk I worked with and had an amazing bond with. I think it can be hard for people to realize just how special a bird can be.

I couldn't get into it...

Chris Chester passed away this year and it's sad that he wrote only this book. A Portland, Oregon writer, he uses his adoption of a baby sparrow as a segue into observations into the larger events of life. His devotion to the birds he adopts is amazing and should provide interesting reading for these descriptions alone. Quite funny in spots.

This book was an absolutely delightful memoir of a man in Portland Oregon who gave over his life and house to a house sparrow (and a subsequent menagerie of zebra finches and sparrows). Amazing the relationships he developed with his birds. Although I haven't uncaged my lone zebra finch (his mate died last year) I have let my parakeet roam after reading this book--and his life and mine are the better for it.

Fascinating story with excellent writing. The tenderness with which Chris Chester tells this adventure of having a house sparrow in their house along with other words is deeply touching, along with his somewhat sardonic humor and philosophical musings it is totally enjoyable and thougth provoking. He is a very gifted writer. Too bad he is gone.

Great book by a Portland author that received the Oregon Book Award for this love story of a bird and his man.